‘Have to become a mechanic in 2.5 seconds’: Ford driver’s ‘push to start’ button falls off. What can she do?

This may seem like a nightmare if you're trying to make a quick exit. What do you do when your start button falls into your dashboard? This Ford driver is telling her tale and claims it involves a lot of work.

Ford driver Christina (@christina.blindsarcasm), aka Blind Sarcasm, posted her original video to TikTok on July 8. The video has gone on to garner over 473,500 views and counting.

In the video, her vehicle appears to have a major malfunction. The car's start button seems to have disappeared into the dash.

What happened?

In the video, which Christina captioned, "When your push to start button falls into the dash [so] you have to become a mechanic in 2.5 seconds," her camera shows an empty hole in the dash that was apparently occupied by the car's start button.

The camera shows what appears to be a gaping hole in the dash where the vehicle's start button may have rested. She then pokes at her dashboard near the now empty socket.

Christina appears to suggest the button disappeared when she pushed it, but that isn't established by the initial video or any of her follow-ups.

@christina.blindsarcasm When your push to start button falls into the dash ao you have to become a mechanic in 2.5 seconds ???? #cars #elevatorbuttons #mechanic #noposwow #valiomadre ♬ Oh No - Kreepa

What is a push-button start?

Car and Driver states that push button ignition starts "are making the ignition key almost obsolete." The feature often works in conjunction with a key fob that allows the engine to start without the turn of a key.

According to The Verge, push-button starts were once common in the first days of the automobile but have become popular in the 21st century.

"It’s not exactly ubiquitous yet; looking at the 2022 models of the top 10 most-sold cars in the US, only half of them come with the feature as standard."

So, what do you do when the button breaks?

Christina's solution

In a series of follow-up videos, Christina appears to be attempting to recover the original push button assembly that disappeared in the dashboard.

While she did not show the button disappearing into the dashboard of her vehicle, she posted a series of follow-up videos that showed her attempts to fix the situation.

In the first, she has disassembled the outer panel of her center console and appears to be searching for the button assembly. A third video appears to show her disassembling the console to attempt to retrieve it.

"I already took apart this," she states, indicating the two sides of the console.

In her last video, she claims her uncle and big brother came to the rescue. The caption reads, "Uncle & Baby Bro to the rescue so I didn't have to turn any wrenches."

While the last video doesn't show the (literal) nuts and bolts of the repair, it does appear that the starter assembly was either recovered or replaced, and Christina's car was able to restart.

Should I be worried about my starter button?

CarGurus' forum describes a similar instance. A driver noted, "My wife borrowed my car and pressed the start button with the key fob a little too hard and [now] the button is pushed into the dash." 

A 2017 complaint on a Ford Flex .net forum also recounts a similar problem. User NowBrownFlex stated, "My Start button fell into my dash so I am now dead in the water in my driveway. A couple of times earlier in the week the start button shifted when I started the car. I was able to flick it and get it to jump back into position. This time after driving home with the button out of position when I went to turn off the car it fell in behind the dash."

However, this problem does not seem to be a common one for Ford owners based on the Daily Dot's research into the matter.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Ford via email for a statement.

What the viewers said

Christina's viewers did not offer opinions on Ford's starter button but nevertheless offered their sympathy to her.

"Imagine trying to leave from a long day at work and this happens," Kaitlyn (@kaitlyn.carver0) wrote.

"This is why I won't buy a push button start car!! Cause I would throw a fit if this happened after a long day," a second viewer said.

Another added, "I’m definitely not a mechanic, but I don’t think that’s supposed to happen."

The Daily Dot has reached out to Christina via email and TikTok direct message for further comment.

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The post ‘Have to become a mechanic in 2.5 seconds’: Ford driver’s ‘push to start’ button falls off. What can she do? appeared first on The Daily Dot.